It’s time to make your dream trips a reality. Oh that initial thrill, gathering all the travel possibilities of the year, bonding with your screens or pouring over books. Where to go? What to do? How to do it? (*insert building stress.) How will we get there? How do we afford it? Have no fear. With these tips to improve your trips, you can get started with truly making your travel bucket list a reality.
1. Find the heart of your trip
WHY have you been longing for this location? When you picture yourself at this place, who are you with and what are you doing? When you think of yourself reflecting back to your trip, what would be the thing you would most regret missing? THAT is your trip priority.
If you’ve longed to visit London, see Buckingham Palace, and cruise the Thames, how did all your time disappear planning meals on Yelp? Really want to stroll Paris’s boulevards and eat croissants? Why are you standing in line at the Louvre? If you dreamed of playing on the beach with your family, stop trying to find the perfect pose for posts. We are burdened by the sense of “have to do all of this because I may never be back.” The pull of those popular feeds is also strong; “I did it for the ‘gram.” So we mindlessly overpack our time and overBLOW our budget.
Focus your time and your money on your key experiences, the ones you long for. Then embrace spontaneity. Ignore anything that seems like an obligation. This was a hard learned lesson for me and now I hold my key image of what I really want in my head every trip and (try!) to let the rest go. Fear of missing out, people. Don’t let it destroy your experience.
2. Get a flight tracker
All tips to improve trips must include flights. They are the least flexible cost in your trip. There are things you can do: look at alternative airports near your destination, fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays if possible, look at basic economy seats or air+hotel bundle packaging, or consider driving or taking the train. But, first, let me introduce you to your new best friend. Apps that track trends for your flights and send you updates of when to wait and when to buy are game-changers.
My favorite is Hopper because of the details it gives on the timing of trends. You can buy from these apps or use the info to go buy direct from the airline of your choice. Just watch to make sure you have basic economy turned off if you want to be able to chose your seats and have (some) luggage fees included.
(Want more ideas on affordable flights? Learn how to earn miles on everyday purchases to make flights happen, with or without an airline’s credit card!)
3. Pick your location, then your lodging
Choosing accommodations can be overwhelming, particularly with the boom of Airbnb, Vrbo, and other homestay options and a million and one booking sites. Remember this first: transport. Saving $150 by staying in the suburbs does little if you’re spending $175 on car rentals or taxi/Uber/Lyft services. First, get a map and locate your key experiences. Price the hotels around that prime area on any site. How much cheaper would an outlying place have to be to make transport fees (and your time!) worth it? Don’t overlook public transport possibilities; too many people rent an unnecessary car when a nice place next to a train station would have solved everything. Before you book anything, take a little walk through the neighborhood with Google Earth and make sure it fits your needs and expectations. If the lodging is your key experience, just go for it.
Lodging around big events in smaller areas, like the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, take some extra tricks. Plan ahead and prepare to hustle some points, even if you don’t already have them.
There are many other tips and tricks to improve trips and book that vacation. But stick to these first. With these three things covered, your passion and your top costs, everything else will sort out.
May the road rise to meet you, travelers, and may you always have a trip on the horizon.
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